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Keane ready for tight finish

Sunderland boss Roy Keane believes the battle to avoid relegation could go down to the wire.

By Lewis Rutledge

Last Updated: 20/03/08 7:33pm

Sunderland boss Roy Keane believes the battle to avoid relegation could go down to the wire.

Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea left The Black Cats just two points above the bottom three and Keane expects the pressure to be on until the final day of the season

Tottenham would appear to be safe in 11th place but the bottom nine teams are all involved in the scrap for survival and Keane thinks there will be many more twists and turns to come.

Keane has admitted he is surprised that so many clubs are still struggling, saying: "Possibly so, but that suits everybody. It is helping everybody, because over the next few weeks, a lot of those teams are playing each other.

"We saw Newcastle at Birmingham the other night and it was Wigan v Bolton last week, so teams are going to drop points because we are playing each other - and some of us have still got the likes of Arsenal to come.

Intriguing

"I actually think it is the most intriguing finish to a season for a long, long time because usually at the bottom, there might be four or five teams who could go down.

"You saw it last year, right on the last day of the season, it was between Wigan and Sheffield United, whereas this season it could go to the last day and there might be three or four teams who still could go down."

Keane feels his side has made progress since the start of the campaign and remains confident of a strong finish.

He explained: "You look at the league table and you say maybe we could be doing better, but I have to say, when you look at the players we have brought to the club, the injuries we have had, the decisions which have gone against the club, we are happy with the position we are in, in that we are in with a chance of fighting relegation.

"We are delighted we are still in their fighting. We have a good chance to remain in the Premier League, but we have to go out and do it and we have to prove it."

No choice

Keane may be without Kenwyne Jones and Carlos Edwards for next weekend's clash with West Ham as he concedes he is powerless to stop the duo from linking up with Trinidad & Tobago for an international friendly.

"We don't have a choice in it. They will play at the weekend and then off they will go," he told the Sunderland Echo.

"I didn't ask them for to be excused - I don't think it would be worth it, really. You have to try and treat every player and every country with the same respect.

"So there's nothing to be resolved - they are just like any other players who are selected.

"I'm not a great fan of international friendlies - I wasn't a great fan of friendlies even as a player.

"I can understand why the international managers want them and I can understand the idea behind it, but the timing of these friendlies, at this stage of the season, is pretty crazy."